A 'Melting Pot' of Genetic History
American ancestry is diverse and dispersed. Up until a few hundred years ago, much of what we know as the continental United States was occupied by people who migrated from Siberia tens of thousands of years ago. We know these people today as Native Americans.
When the Europeans arrived, whether it be the French, Spanish, or English, a series of rapid mixing events began. While the Europeans are one of the largest groups to migrate to the continental US, other significant groups have added to the “melting pot;” from West Africans brought as slaves in the 19th century, to people from Asia and Latin America in the 20th century who came to work and make a better life for themselves and their families. “Americans” are a diverse mix of global peoples — from the Old World or New.
American is an identity based on values, not genetic composition. After all, the history of humanity and human migration is much longer than the history of this nation. But genetically speaking, what do we know about Americans?
For over four hundred years, people from all of the world have come to these shores to make a new life, but America has a long and troubled history with migration. “Tired, poor, huddled masses” come to America to seek asylum from their “tempest-tossed” homelands, as they have since the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts some four hundred years ago. Later, migrants from Europe, such as the Irish and Germans in the 1840s, arrived for the same reasons but experienced nativism and rejection from the Americans of their day, who descended from the first settlers. These Europeans were unwelcome and negatively-regarded in the same way immigrants are today — ironic huh? History repeats itself after all.
What do people in other countries around the world think about America? Why come here? Because of the promises we made as a nation hundreds of years ago. Despite recent events, our nation was founded on a simple promise— liberty. The most common theme across early American history. Liberty — and justice — for. all. Much has changed since then, between the first settlers, the Revolution, the Civil War, and the civil war we endure now. It may not be a physical battle, but this century will be marked by a verbal war. An extreme divide between two sides of a political spectrum.
A relevant topic, the big question remains — should we allow immigrants, from this moment forward, to enter the country? For how long? Should we offer them citizenship?
I don’t have an answer, but rather something to consider. All men are created equal. The Declaration of Independence may have emerged in the context of an Anglo-Protestant culture, but truth be told — all men are created equal.
We are all the same underneath. We share the same DNA. We have emotions, families, skin and bones. We are all human. A species united under more similarities than differences. We arrive on this planet a clean slate, assuming the world is ours for the taking, free to roam as we please, and that’s how we lived for thousands of years. What’s different now? Governing bodies and regulation, which provide structure and safety, but at what cost? — your freedom and perhaps… your liberty.
This post is also published on Medium.